Training YOLOv8 with multiple machines and GPUs involves the use of distributed and parallel computing. The process is similar to how it’s done in YOLOv5, with the main difference being the configuration file and model weights specific to YOLOv8.
Here’s a general overview:
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Setup: Set up your machines to have a master and worker nodes that will be connected over a network.
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Network Configuration: Assign a static IP to your master machine and make note of it. You’ll need to provide this IP and a master port when running the training command.
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Distributed Training Command: Run the distributed training command from all machines involved in the training. For the master machine, you’ll set node_rank to 0, while for the rest of the machines, you’ll increase node_rank incrementally.
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Model Files: Make sure to replace --cfg yolov5s.yaml --weights with the configuration and weights specific to YOLOv8.
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Batch Size: The total batch size is divided among all GPUs involved. Adjust the batch size depending on the total GPU memory available across all machines and GPUs. This parameter can significantly influence the model training performance and memory usage.
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Data Configuration File: This file contains information about the training, validation, and test datasets. Be sure that all machines have access to the dataset as specified in this file.
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As you mentioned, the methods for training YOLOv5 with multiple machines can be found in the Ultralytics Docs. The same concepts can be applied to YOLOv8 with changes based on model-specific details.
I hope this provides a good starting point for training YOLOv8 with multiple machines and GPUs. If you encounter any issues or have further questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Happy training!